I was just curious what people would do if they wound up winning the 1.2 billion dollar lotto.
For me, animals would be one of my main focuses. I would wind up donating a significant chunk to various animal charities including the Exotic Feline Rescue Center down in Indiana, Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary in Rome, and of course others like The Humane Society, World Wildlife fund, etc. I would go on TV and state that any animal charity or organization that was in need of money.....well, just give me a call. My only requirement would be that I would need reciepts showing that the money was being spent in a proper manner.
I would build a really large animal shelter in my hometown and hire a couple full time veterinarians to take care of the animals and a staff to try and get the animals adopted into good homes. I would offer free veterinary services for those who couldn't afford it and had animals in need of help. Hell, vets are more expensive than human doctors. At least half of the money would go towards helping animals.
For myself, I would buy out the owners adjacent to our home down in Costa Rica so I could grow my own organic food and build a really large greenhouse so I could start growing bonsai tree's again. I would literally start hundreds of different seedlings from a bunch of different kinds of tree's. I would basically have a huge greenhouse full of various Bonsai tree's. Growing Bonsai tree's from seeds, while slow and arduous, is just a hugely satisying and rewarding hobby. The conditions down there are perfect for growing some of the most beautiful bonsai tree's the world over.
I would also build a really big photography studio and buy a ton of new lighting and photography equipment, including a complete Red One 6k Weapon camera package with all of the Red One Prime Lenses (18mm, 25mm, 35mm, 300,mm). There wouldn't be a single piece of photography equipment out there that I wanted that I wouldn't own. I would buy every piece of photo gear I have ever wanted.
I would also buy 2 Airstreams, the Flying Cloud 23FB and the Sport 16.
Flying Cloud
Airstream Sport 16
I would buy a new Range Rover for the Sport 16 and a heavy duty truck for the Flying Cloud (not sure which brand or model). I would hire someone to retrofit the Airstream sport into a bada*s portable darkroom. That way I could just take off on road trips and do all my developing and even some printing while I was on the road. I would literally be in heaven. I would tour the entire US and parts of Canada.
I would also buy small lots of land in some of the best sky viewing sites in the world. I would then buy really high end telescopes and outdoor housings for them and have them all linked to my home. That way I could do astrophotograhy from some of the best locations the world over, all from the comfort of my own home.
I would also go on eBay and buy all of the statues, prints, and various collectibles I have always wanted to buy, incuding the life size Michael Turner Fathom Bronze Statue from CS Moore. I would coat the bottom half in some sort of sealant and put it in my pool. That way it would look like she was coming right up out of the water!! Tell me that wouldn't look bad a*s!!
And of course, I would give a big chunk of it to my family. Both of my sisters, my mom, my uncle, my nieces and nephews etc., would never have to worry about money ever again.
Beyond that, I would just travel the world shooting pictures.
Ah, one can dream!!!